What Makes This House Our Home ... Well, partly

It all began with this white ball of fur.  

A kitten that accompanied my mother home from work on Halloween.  

We named him, Punkin.  

                                                                                    He was an amazing indoor/outdoor cat who loved to sleep under the piano.  I don't know why my parents allowed us to have a cat.  Or why they allowed him to stay inside.  But I liked it very much.  Having a pet, in my opinion, is an integral part of family life.  

If I remember correctly, my mom is not particularly fond of cats.  But Punkin was always able to find a comfy place on her lap. (This picture is totally rockin' the '70s look. And my sister-in-law, Tricia, made the beautiful afghan on the back of the sofa. I've taken many a nap under that afghan.) 

And my incredibly handsome, macho brother, (notice the sideburns) couldn't help but show his soft side around Punkin.  

Thus began my love affair with cats.  I love how dramatic that sounds.  

My cousin, Jill, and I enjoyed playing with a litter of kittens at her house.  All those razor sharp little nails climbing all over us. Yikes!  But they were soooo cute.  (not so my fashion sense... sad to say I am probably the same age in this picture as my youngest daughter is currently - 14.  She has much better taste in clothing than I did at that age.)  

While I like all cats, I have a special fondness for orange kitties.  We currently have two orange cats; an indoor longish hair and an outdoor short hair.  Both of them came to us through my husband's veterinary hospital.  People often drop a box of kittens off at the front door.  Apparently they think that some sucker is going to think they are really cute and then take them home.  O.O

Our indoor cat came to us from the hospital, already named by the veterinary staff.  Unknown to me, they had named this cute little ball of fur, Punkin.

This orange kitty named Punkin had my name written all over her.

 

 Here she is with our dog, Abby, as a kitten and a little older.  They got along well from the very beginning.

Of course, I have to share her with the rest of the family.  Punkin loves to hang out in Sera's bathroom while she is getting ready.  

 I tried to take her picture last night but she really didn't like the flash going off in her eyes.  I guess I don't blame her.  It really is kind of a pain.

Although her name is Punkin, I call her Kitty.  And although I call her mine, she is not to be owned.  She is a free spirit and spends most of her time sleeping and just hangin' out.  But she is very much a part of what makes this house our home.